Saturday, July 16, 2011

Henry Cavill (left) and Tom Welling (right) can play an older and younger Superman.

The buzz is making the rounds about the upcoming movie Superman: Man of Steel, which is slated for release in 2012. This will be a reboot of one of the most popular film franchises in recent history and will sort of retell the story of one of the most popular superheroes created.

British actor Henry Cavill has been cast in the lead role of the iconic American superhero, and this in itself isn’t as much of a stretch as one would think. After all, Christian Bale, who plays another iconic American superhero, is Welsh. What is interesting is that Cavill he bears a striking resemblance to actor Tom Welling, who played the young Clark Kent in the TV series Smallville.And then again, perhaps, that shouldn’t be surprising. The canonical looks of the Man of Steel might have changed somewhat in the decades since he first came out, but the main features—strong jawline, curly bangs—have remained the same, so it’s not much of a reach that the actor playing the part in the remake would look something like the actor who played the part in the character’s mostrecent media incarnation. Who knows, maybe in the future, these two actors will play the same character in different periods—a younger and an older Superman, perhaps?

1 comment:

Anonymous
said...

Not really. The big problem is that whether the "hardcore fans" like it or not, Tom Welling is Superman and not a look-alike. It's practically guarantee that casting Welling for the role will help the movie take the top spot at theaters regardless of how the movie actually is. Combined with a great script, it's got the potential to be something really great. Unfortunately, Cavill is just another guy much like in Superman Returns where a lot of people are left saying "why didn't they use Tom Welling?" - and most of them will be saying it after they don't even bother going to the theatre. Fair or not, that's how it's going to happen. Tom Welling has the ability to keep Superman relevant in theatres today as hasn't been done in many, many years. And everyone keeps dropping the ball. It's a damn shame.